the Wanderer and the Sun
by MoonCrown
Summary: There was nothing Thorfinn hated more than Dwemer ruins, but unfortunately he had little choice in delving into one when he is tasked to find a certain Elder Scroll. Little did he know he would find a bit more than he bargained for.


**Alftand Cathedral **

Caves had never been a particular problem for Thorfinn. Ever since he arrived in Skyrim, he had basically made a living out of diving into murky caves and decaying ruins in the service of others, and so far, it had worked , it was heavy at times, but that was more because he detested camping not because of the jobs.

He had since long accepted that life as a wanderer was his destiny and such he would remain until he died a young he used to think at least. Unfortunately, it seemed that the gods, despite his earlier conviction, had a bigger plan for him. A plan that he frankly was not particularly fond of, but he had little to say on the matter.

It was also because of that specific plan he was here now, in a Dwemer ruin. As said before, he had not the slightest problem with caves and ruins, but the Dwarves' ancient ruins were a little different. These ruins lay deep below the bedrock and not a sunbeam reached there. They were also guarded by strange objects that lived even though they were only made of metal. It was frighteningly alien and Thorfinn hated it. In addition, the twisted Falmer also still lurked inside those depths, and the young wanderer had little desire to cross blades with them. They were vicious and disturbingly aware of their surroundings, making them dangerous enemies. To put it simply there was nothing Thorfinn hated more than those forsaken places.

Yet there he was:deep down in Alftand and wandering deeper still.

With every door he opened and room he cleared he swore that he would never venture this deep again. It felt endless, and he wondered how long he had been there now. It had been midday when he first entered the Alftand glacier ruins and it had been a lovely day. Spring was near and the sun shined brightly. Even the air felt fresher and the snow had gotten an icy surface due to the increasing warmth. He had nearly waited another day to enter the cold excavation site, but the threat of Alduin lay heavy on his shoulders and he found no peace in sunbathing when he needed to find that wretched scroll.

He stopped in his tracks and suppressed an exasperated grunt.

On the ground just around the corner he could see the outlines of several pressure plates. Bracing himself he sneaked a few steps to see if there was anything beyond them in the corridor.

As suspected there stood a lone falmer, scratching his leg.

Thorfinn bent his bow quietly. If there was something he had learned when venturing into hostile dens it was that discretion was everything if one wished to stay alive.

The falmer remained oblivious of the danger until the released arrow pierced his throat. It did not even have the time to make a sound before it fell dead to the floor. He stood still for a while to see if more falmer would show up. When they did not he lowered his bow and carefully evaded the traps.

Another door met him around the corner, and he sighed. He could practically hear the numerous falmer on the other side.

This would not be pleasant.

* * *

Thorfinn ruthlessly pulled back his steel sword and kicked the dead body away from last falmer fell hard to the ground where a puddle of blood formed. With a heavy breath he looked around. The floor was covered with blood and white mutated bodies.

Pleased with his survival he spat a mouthful of blood on the floor and sheathed his sword. He had dropped his bow and quiver earlier to fight more effectively with his sword and now he moved back to the entrance to retrieve them. Smoothly he returned the shield to its place on his back and re-hooked the quiver to his lower back.

He winced slightly when he sat down on the steps nearby and inspected his injuries. There was nothing major but he had gotten a few hits on his abdomen that despite the armor would probably form a hefty bruise. Somehow one of them had also managed to cut his right arm, but luckily it was not very deep.

Freeing his arms from his gauntlets he gathered some magicka in his left hand and healed the cut to the best of his ability. When he was pleased with the result he put the gauntlets back on and dug in his poach for a healing potion. It would not be enough to fully heal the forming bruise on his around his stomach, but it would do.

It was time to move on.

* * *

He had accidentally awakened a dwarven centurion. It was a fearsome sight, but who would have thought a well-aimed arrow would fell it so quickly. Thorfinn could scarcely believe it when the centurion fell to its knees at his panic fired arrow. Warily he walked towards it with his sword ready. He poked it a few times before breathing out when it made no move – it was dead: but how?

The arrow had pierced through its armor and only the end of it was visible. Impressed by his own shot he let out a low whistle. Curious as to what exactly had felled the machine he kicked the armor open. There was a chance he might meet one of these again after all, and it's always nice to know their weaknesses.

Inside the centurion he found a cracked red sphere clad in dwarven metal, a Centurion Dynamo Core.

Holding the broken core in his hand he chuckled victoriously. Then he dropped it to the ground and eyed another interesting thing inside the chest: a grand soul gem. By now Thorfinn's mood had improved considerably and he shoved the gem into his pouch with satisfaction.

* * *

"Sulla look, the passage is open, wait... there's someone down there!"

"No! Blackreach was to be my discovery!" the man apparently called Sulla cried out.

_Blackreach? _Thorfinn thought dismayed. He got the feeling the search would only go downhill from here.

"Sulla, let's just get out of here. Hasn't there been enough death?" the woman tried to reason.

Thorfinn was now certain they were survivors of the expedition whose members he had found shattered and dead all around the ruins. '_They seem reasonable enough' _he thought and contemplated making himself known to them.

"Oh, of course you want me to leave," the Sulla spat, "Just waiting for me to turn my back! So you can have all the glory for yourself!"

'_Or maybe not'_, Thorfinn decided when the older man drew his blade, '_I think I will back away slowly.' _

"Sulla, back away," the woman warned, and unsheathed her own blade, "I don't want to hurt you, but I will!"

"Hah, as if!" Sulla retorted, "Tell me, Umana, if you weren't planning on betraying me: why are your little friend over there, sneaking about, waiting to cut me down?!"

Thorfinn stepped back, he had been seen. '_Shit.'_

"Wha-…", Umana stuttered and turned her face to your location by the door, "Who are you?!"

"Don't you even try, you little bitch!" Sulla roared, "I will kill you!"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Thorfinn tried in vain to stop him. He almost face palmed when the older man attacked his companion. Fighting the urge to groan he unsheathed his own blade and carefully stepped into the room. "I'm here on completely unrelated business; please can we just be civili-… Ugh!" he was interrupted by a sprinting Sulla and by pure reflex he parried the man's sword with his own and while Sulla staggered Thorfinn grabbed him by the head and impaled him.

He withdrew the sword quickly and turned to Umana who stared at him in shock.

"You killed him!" she said, and her face twisted into an ugly grimace, "You killed Sulla, you will pay!"

"Wha-… he was attacking you, and me!" Thorfinn protested, "Seriously you crazy-…"

"I will kill you!" She screamed and attacked.

"He would have killed you!" he tried again, but Umana refused to listen, insanity dancing in her eyes.

Cursing he dodged her livid attack and reached for his shield, but before he could even lift his arm she was at him again, bashing him with her spiked shield. It hit his armor straight on and he staggered back. If he got out of this alive he would have to remember thanking Eorlund for strengthening his steel armor.

The woman raised her sword to strike but in the last second Thorfinn let himself fall to the floor, effectively dodging her blade. Swiftly he drew his dagger and while Umana was off balance after her failed attack he grabbed her leg and cut the back of her knee.

She screamed in pain and fell to her knees in front of him. He kicked her backwards and quickly got up to his feet. She growled furiously and tried to get up, but the moment her head reached Thorfinn's knees he swung his blade and cut her throat.

Blood spurted all the way up to his face. Disgusted he took a few steps till he reached a blood free area where he sat down against a wall and dropped his weapons. His head fell back until it touched the stone.

'_Such waste_,' was his only thoughts as he let himself breathe.

He would probably have to head down the stairs that Sulla and Umana had uncovered, to that place called Blackreach. Personally he thought he already was a far beneath the ground as it was, but as usually these days destiny decreed differently.

Sighing deeply he pushed himself off the ground and collected his weapons. They were bloody, but he didn't have anything to wipe them on save the fur on his armor, so he did. It didn't take away all of it, but if he was lucky maybe he would find some linen wrap somewhere in that Blackreach place.

He did however know he was too tired to venture deeper into enemy grounds. Reluctantly he had to sleep for a short while, and he did, with one eye open.

**Blackreach **

The fact that a place such as this even existed disturbed Thorfinn to no end. It was completely otherworldly. There was no clear light, only those gigantic glowing mushrooms that shined vaguely and the enormous yellow sphere, an artificial sun, that hanged down from the glittering ceiling. The thought of this hidden civilization brought a chill to his spine and he was overwhelmed with relief that the Dwemer were since long gone.

The Falmer and the Dwemer machinery however, were not gone, and he was uncertain what to do next.

Thorfinn had no idea where the Tower of Mzark was. He wished there had been some sort of map over Blackreach because right now he was literally fumbling in the dark.

Absently he wondered if he would have to examine every single tower-like ruin to find what he was looking for. The thought left a bad taste in his mouth. It would take half an eternity, and it was not free from dangers.

It was difficult to look around due to the poor light and soon he found himself drawn to the sun-like sphere. It hung above a huge building that must have been very important once upon a time. Perhaps if the Dwemer had Jarls, that's where they would have been.

His thoughts were interrupted when a small pebble connected with his forehead. He turned his head towards the direction it came from in great alarm.

On one of the building's watchtower there stood a girl dressed rags and she threw another pebble at him while gesturing wildly.

Thorfinn was struck by astonishment. There was actually another live person here that wasn't Falmer. He walked a few steps closer and gave her small wave in response, but she did not seem to be happy about it. Instead she took another hand filled with small pebbles and dust and threw them at his direction. That's when he realized what she was doing: she was trying to warn him. She wanted him to get away without anyone noticing him.

It was however too late for him to move.

Soon a man joined her on the tower, with a Falmer close behind.

They were slaves, Thorfinn realized with horror. The Falmer couldn't see him but the humans could, but surely they wouldn't uncover him? He was man just like them and he couldn't possible win a direct battle with an entire fortress of Falmer.

The man turned to the girl and then smacked her across the cheek, gesturing for her to go down. She held her head down and backed a few steps, but cast a quick look at Thorfinn. She didn't want him to be discovered, she didn't want him dead.

The Falmer grunted and sat down on the edge while the man finally turned around to keep watch.

He noticed Thorfinn immediately.

He was going to call him out.

He opened his mouth to shout out to the whole compound.

Thorfinn watched in horror as the girl's face twisted into an angry grimace in the background.

He watched in astonishment as she took speed and pushed her fellow slave over the edge. Thorfinn wasn't sure if he died by the fall, but the man lay flat on the ground without moving.

She saved his life, but put her own in danger.

Thorfinn took his chance to throw himself into hiding in the shadow of a big rock by the road. He didn't know what to do but he held his eyes on the girl that continued writing her death sentence when she pushed down the alerted Falmer as well.

She threw him one last frantic look before disappearing from his view. He could hear shouting from within the walls.

There would have to be a gate somewhere, he had to at least try and save her.

Determined he made his bow ready and moved silently in the shadows.

* * *

When he reached the gate he was happy he had decided to look around. Not because it was unguarded or by any means easy to sneak past, but because the moment it got in his view he could see the girl.

She was frantically dodging her attackers and even crawled between the legs of a man with a Warhammer as he tried to smash her. With ridiculous luck she managed to slip past the gate and run out.

There were archers on the wall aiming for her now, but Thorfinn would not let them loose their arrows. Expertly he fired two quick arrows that pierced the archers' abdomens. It was a relief when they turned their attention to him rather than her, but it also made it hard for him to follow her. He was well hidden behind a large rock and before they discovered his location he backed away carefully and melted with the shadows.

He couldn't move very fast and he couldn't see the girl anymore, but he suspected she was looking for him where she had seen him last. At least he hoped she was, otherwise he was afraid he wouldn't find her alive.

* * *

She was indeed looking for him. Her voice was hoarse and barely audible as she whispered into the shadows she hoped he was hiding in. Thorfinn wasn't there though, but he would be soon.

He knew a group of slaves had left the compound, probably hunting for the girl, and he did most definitely not wish to fight them all. This would therefore have to be handled discreetly.

There wasn't much time though. Thorfinn could hear the slaves' voices around the corner and he knew that they could at any moment have the girl within their field of vision. It didn't help that she seemed to be panicking when she didn't find him, and he wasn't close enough to get her attention without alerting the pursuers, unless…

"Mister?" she called out uncertainly, "are you there?"

He looked to his feet. There were plenty of pebbles there. He picked one up and aimed it at her. She was looking straight at him, but naturally she couldn't see him in the dark. He needed her to walk closer.

When the pebble hit her she gasped in surprise. "Mister, is that you?"

He wished she would stop talking and threw another pebble at her. Her face looked uncertain but she took a few steps nonetheless into the darkness by the side of the road.

At the same second the other slaves rounded the corner. However before they even got the chance to focus their view Thorfinn rolled forward, grabbed the girl by her waist, and returned deep into the shadows with her struggling in his arms. He pressed a hand to her mouth to keep her from making sounds that would give them away and whispered a faint "_quiet" _in her ear.

She stopped struggling and he guessed she just noticed the group of men and women that walked on the road she had just been standing on.

Thorfinn in turn noticed that this girl was taller than he previously thought. Rather than a girl she was a young woman. She smelled like dirt and mushrooms and her hair was s greasy mess. It wasn't very strange, he thought –the Falmer weren't exactly famous for their hygiene. Their slaves would hardly be allowed such luxury. She was also sickly thin, so much he wondered how she even had had the strength to push down two fully grown males.

It wasn't until the group finally moved on that Thorfinn dared to move him and his newly found companion further away.

"Remember to be quiet," he whispered before letting go of her, "who are you?"

She looked at him with furrowed brows and touched her lips with her finger.

'_Seriously?'_ "You may speak," he elaborated with a touch of annoyance, "but _whisper_ to speak _quietly." _

"I want to see the sun, Mister," she whispered with her throaty voice, "I want to see aboveground!" She grabbed his arm and met his eyes with desperation, "I can't go back to the sun here, they know now, so I can't go back."

"What do they know?" he asked carefully, not really sure what to make of her slightly mad babbling.

"They know I remember, Mister! They know I haven't forgotten!" she spoke eagerly, "I know there's another sun, Manna told me, she did! She did! She told me to remember, to repeat what I knew every night, and I have! I'm not mad, I'm not! Not like the others! I haven't forgotten, I like the sun, I don't belong here!"

"Hush, speak calmly," Thorfinn ordered, "What do you remember?"

She looked at him in confusion at his question, "I-… I don't remember," she whispered, "but I remember I have forgotten many things. I can't go back Mister, they will smash my head and eat me if I do," her eyes widened in fear, "please don't leave me here! You are from aboveground aren't you? I promise I will be good, so please bring me with you! I want to see the sun, I do! I do! Please Mister!"

"I won't leave you," Thorfinn insured her solemnly, he would have to figure out what to do with her after they got out of here, "But I have to find the Tower of Mzark first, do you know where I can find it?"

"Mzark… Mzark, a tower…" she mused before her face suddenly lit up in realization, "Mzark! Yes, I know, I know! Over the bridge it is, it is! Chaurus and masters will be along the way and sometimes the metal wakes up, but I will follow you, I will!"

"Then we go there first," he said, "and then we go and see the sun."

He had never seen a happier face in his life.

* * *

She acted much younger than she was, was the first thing Thorfinn learned about her. Somehow she had managed to stay relatively sane even in the clutchesof the Falmer and had even fooled everyone around her she was just as brainwashed as them. It was hard to guess her age and he knew firsthand that a tough lifestyle often speed up the aging process. Her face was also covered in dirt which made it even harder. Not that it mattered; mentally she was like a child. A abused and borderline mad child, but a child nonetheless.

It was also impossible to make her stop talking. Initially he had thought she wouldn't like to talk too much because her voice sounded like she might lose it any second. More than once did it crack or become so low it was barely possible to hear what she said. It did however seem as if she had never had someone to talk to before, particularly about her secrets and now she took the chance to spill them all.

She spoke mostly of another slave called Manna. Manna had been an older slave that had been there before she came. It never became clear to Thorfinn if Manna was male or female, but it didn't seem to be important. The important thing was that Manna took care of her and reminded her of another life.

"Where is Manna now?" Thorfinn asked when they had settled down to rest for a while. It was not hard to guess, but she spoke as if the person was still alive, so he asked anyway.

She was silent for a few seconds before she replied, "Dead by now I think," she mused solemnly, and for a second Thorfinn thought he saw a glimpse of the woman she could have been, "Manna didn't remember anymore, and I didn't believe it at first, but then Manna almost shouted when he saw you, so I couldn't deny it anymore."

Thorfinn almost choked on his own spit. "Manna was-"

"Manna was my friend, see," she said and looked at him expressionlessly, "but he didn't remember anymore, he just forgot one day. He hurt me, but I didn't want to believe it. He once told me he'd rather die than not remembering, I hope he is dead now. Manna wouldn't like the person he became, I think. May I have some of that?"

Remaining speechless he handed her a piece of dried meat.

"Thank you, Mister," she chewed.

He didn't know what to make of her. It was difficult to imagine what kind of life she might have lived before. She looked like a Nord, albeit a very small one, but her mind was a mystery. What kind of person must she have been to be able to survive in a place like this with even a tiny piece of herself intact?

"What's your name?" he finally asked, tried to think of her as 'the girl'.

"I don't have one, I think," she shrugged, "or I just forgot it."

He watched her silently while contemplating, "Would you like one?"

"Huh?"

"A name," he repeated, "would you like one?"

Curiously she stopped chewing, "Is there somewhere I could find one?"

Thorfinn chuckled, "I have one, if you like it."

He watched in mild amusement as her eyes grew larger again and she crawled closer to him in anticipation. "Really?" she asked breathlessly, "You'd give it to me? I'll have a name like Manna? I like it, please give it to me, I would like it! I would!"

For a moment he considered explaining to her names didn't quite work like that, but he decided against it. He could worry about teaching her the ways of man when they were on their way back to Whiterun.

"You haven't even heard it yet," Thorfinn responded somewhat wryly.

She wrinkled her nose, "Of course I haven't,_ Mister_, you haven't told me it."

"Well then, _Solvor, _how do you like your name?"

Newly named Solvor laughed in delight, "I _love _it!"

* * *

"Mister, how do you plan to get us past those?" Solvor wondered. She stared doubtfully at the two Chaurus and the Chaurus Hunter that were between them and the bridge they needed to cross.

Thorfinn was not used to having company, much less voicing his plans, so instead of answering her he grumbled something incomprehensible and reached for his bow.

Solvor gaped at him, "Mister, you cannot be serious! They're not that easy to kill."

He resisted rolling his eyes when he bent his bow and aimed high in the air.

"Hm… Mister? Your aim is a bit off, I think," she said a with a bit hesitation.

Thorfinn snorted in response, "Watch and learn, girl."

He released the arrow and it flew in a graceful curve above the insects. It softly hit the head of an inactive Dwarven Centurion, which immediately activated the sleeping machine.

Solvor furrowed her brows, "Why would you want to wake up more enemies? It's not very smart, I thi-… oh." She stopped midsentence when the insects and the centurion started to fight, "I change my mind, Mister, you might be smart, I think."

Thorfinn didn't mind her much attention but kept his eyes focused on the fight. Soon the centurion fell broken to the ground and only the Chaurus Hunter remained. Then he bent his bow one last time and fired a well-aimed arrow at the Hunter's head, before it even got the chance to react.

"Across the bridge?" he asked passively as he lowered his bow.

His voice brought her out of her wonder and she nodded enthusiastically, "Across the bridge and then just follow the trail! We will be able to see it soon, I think!"

Pleased with the news Thorfinn murmured a few words of encouragements to the young woman and patted her back before continuing on.

Solvor happily followed him.

**Tower of Mzark**

"Why do you look at me like that, Mister?"

Thorfinn sighed deeply.

Once they had gotten to the tower there was little to worry about. He had placed Septimus' blank lexicon on the machine and then let Solvor smash all the buttons until she found the right combination. He had little interest in such machines and would probably not do much better by himself. The Elder Scroll eventually rose from its resting place and became free for the taking. He had however chosen to destroy the now filled lexicon instead of returning it to Septimus –if that Dwemer cube truly held that _heart, _it was better it stayed there. He also had no desire to serve the wretched being called Hermaeus Mora.

The problem was therefore neither the Elder Scroll nor the Lexicon –but Solvor's current attire.

As he had observed before he entered Alftand Spring was dawning, but it was by no means warm yet. With her thin, torn clothes, she would freeze to death within the hour. There was no way he could bring her back to Skyrim without warmer clothes and most importantly – shoes.

"We need to find you more clothes," he stated frankly.

"Oh," she looked down on her body. The ragged shirt didn't even cover her arms and the trousers only reached her knees. She didn't even have any real shoes, but only linen wrap. "Where might I find that though, Mister?"

He didn't answer immediately but walked back to the hall. Solvor followed him without inquiry. She had gotten used to his more practical approach to questions.

Some minutes later she was covered in several layers of different fabrics and clothes from all around the Tower. Thorfinn had taken everything from banners and sheets to abandoned tunics and trousers. The only shoe-like things they found were a pair of old leather slippers that Thorfinn made her wear and then proceeded in wrapping them in fabrics. He used his own leather strips to tie and hold all the layers in place.

When there was no more fabric left he stepped back and inspected his work. She wouldn't be able to walk directly on the cold ground like that, which meant he would have to carry her on his back. That wouldn't be much of a problem as long as she carried his shield and quiver. Otherwise there was not much else he could do.

She looked like a sausage.

"It will do," he concluded.

Solvor was not particularly pleased at first, but as they stood in the elevator, it dawned on her that she actually would finally get to see the sun, and there was nothing that could ruin that feeling.

**Skyrim**

They arrived back in Skyrim at dawn, right before sunrise.

Thorfinn had never been as eternally grateful for fresh air as he was right at that moment, but it wasn't his moment, not really. On his back Solvor held a tight grip around his shoulders as she watched the world for the first time for as long as she could remember.

He had been curious as to what her reaction would be, but her complete silence had not been one of them. It was the first time since he had met her she was speechless.

They were on a snow covered mountain and the sky was a clear as it could be. In the far distance she could see the sea and slowly but surely sunbeams lit up the water. Her eyes hurt a little since they weren't used to this bright light and she had to squint to be able to see the through glares but she did not care. The world was so much more beautiful than she ever could have dreamed.

"Is that the sun?" she had to be sure.

Thorfinn nodded, "it is."

He smiled softly when he felt her grip around him tighten and she sobbed loudly with her head pressed to his shoulder, "It's really beautiful, I think."

"I think so too," Thorfinn agreed and they stayed at the mountain brink until the sunrise was over.

* * *

**Notes:**

Thorfinn is a male name formed by two words: Tor (Thor) and Finn  
Tor= Thunder  
Finn= Wanderer

Solvor is a female name formed by two words: Sol and Vor.  
Sol = Sun  
Vor= Vår (Swedish) = Spring

Also Manna being referred to as both male and female is very intentional. I may or may not write a small "prequel" to Solvor's time as slave and her time with Manna, but until then I just wanted to make it clear I did not write "she" instead of "he" by mistake!

This has been on my mind for a while and at first I totally wanted to make Solvor fully voiced follower mod, but since I have no modding skills whatsoever I decided to just make a one-shot about it!

If someone for some reason wants to know more about Thorfinn and Solvor I would just like to inform that I might very well write more, but let me know if you do; it might speed up the process ;)

Either way I hope it was an enjoyable read even though it's somewhat uneventful at places! :)


End file.
